The Ways of the Signs
by GretaPrewett
Summary: What happens when Kate stumbles upon an article on the ways star signs flirt? And then decides to try all 12 of them... General spoilers up to The Limey.
1. Prologue

**A.N.: The idea for this kept badgering me, since I found out the dates of birth for our beloved characters. So what if Kate was out of options, thinking she was losing Castle and stumbled upon a star sign article? Yes, this will be a fluffy, funny, probably OOC story about love, Caskett and star signs. **

**Hope you like it. On with it then!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned it I'd stalk Stana to find out who her hairdresser is. (Now that I think about it, even if I owned the show that would be illegal. Crap.) **

It was probably the dumbest idea she ever had, then again it appeared to be her last resort.

She was going to have to let him know. Well, not directly - never directly- since they had always thrived in expressing themselves between the lines. But it was a big step, a _huge_ one for her.

Taking a deep breath Kate Beckett looked around the precinct and then at her computer screen pretending to read. She'd say news if asked, but that was the last thing currently on her mind. They had just wrapped up another case, and Castle had just left, once again without lingering or winding down by talking to her as he usually did. He had plans. And obviously took great pleasure in announcing this to her. At least that was what it felt like. Well, to be fair he didn't announce it, just…told her. With an easygoing smile.

And that was just…._infuriating._

When before, a small thing such as this would just be irritating, lately Castle's indifference caused a stronger reaction: Her chest and shoulders, stiffened, a buzzing roared in her ears and unusual thoughts entered her mind. Thoughts of creative physical violence against nameless blondes, brunettes, redheads she could _just bet_ were in his "plans". That, right there, was enough proof that it was finally time to act, so she tried to think of the possible courses of action available to her.

Thus the plan had been formed.

Of course, she couldn't reach her – _their_- endgame directly. It wasn't their way. But it _was _their endgame, and if he had moved on from the place where she had left him waiting, well she'd drag him back to it. No, not drag…coax maybe. This demanded that she think it through. That's when she had opened Lanie's email with the article. And then made the list she was staring at right now, black pixels on white background on her screen.

_Twelve ways to reach endgame_.

Kate knew that if she had employed any single one of these ways to show him how she felt a few weeks ago she wouldn't need the rest, but now she needed contingencies. And they were listed in strategic order right in front of her. If one failed, she'd move on to the next.

She laughed softly to herself. She was sure that is anyone found out she had turned this into strategies on how to come clean with Castle, she'd never live it down. God, it sounded stupid even in her own mind. But looking at the list again she silently went over the reason she had found it a good idea in the first place. All twelve strategies were facets of a relationship in a manner of speaking, so she'd prove herself in each one at a time. And hope that he'd cave and let her show how good they'd be in the rest aspects later.

Her friend was the one who had showed her the article. And yeah, she might not believe anything supernatural and new-agey, but each paragraph had seemed like a suggestion.

Plan formed. Order altered. List made.

Looking around to make sure no one had a view of her screen; she pulled up Lanie's article and made sure she had included all twelve points in her list. Satisfied, she closed the document with the list she had created and before closing the browser as well, she glanced at the title:

Love him? Give him a Sign.

She was about to.

** A.N. 2: So, wonderful readers, this story will have twelve more chapters beyond this one. I had to prepare you all with something to justify the silliness ahead. **


	2. Libra

A.N.: So here we go. We're starting slowly, with something relatively tame so we can get this show on the road. The story will get very silly at times, but I hope you'll bear with me. Enjoy :-)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. And that is sad. **

* * *

This would work. It was either that, or she'd have to come clean with the boys so they could help her. She might have to do the latter either way. And wasn't that just…the _ultimate_ embarrassment? _Thanks _so much_, Rick!_

But she had to do this. She had to or she'd lose him and no matter that she hated him right now for his behavior lately, in truth she did love him, so she had to sit here across from him and pretend she was calm and non-confrontational and nice. And she bit her tongue so she wouldn't snap at him that he had suddenly decided to come back.

"It's alright, Castle. We missed you around here, too" she replied sweetly to his hesitant apology, and hoped no one could see the fumes rising from the top of her head. She was trying really hard not to think of that flight attendant so that that serene smile would stay in place. _Breathe._

"Beckett, are you sure?" he was looking at her funny now. Great, and now Espo and Ryan were looking over as well.

"Sure." She lowered her head and looked at him through her lashes. Now this she could enjoy. "The team wasn't the same without you here." She was careful to keep her smile innocent despite the teasing body language. This had to be feminine, and calm.

A spark lit his eyes from within, and the pang in her chest bloomed into the realization that she hadn't seen his eyes sparkle at her in such a long time. _Oh, what the hell._ She'd go ahead with this because maybe, just maybe this was working.

"Okay, great," he smiled without the previous hesitation now. "Do you wanna go through the leads we have so far?" He waved his hand to encompass the murder board, but she was already shaking her head.

Then his hand slowed midair, his breathing pattern changed, and she just knew he'd noticed the switch in her posture: her elbows that had come to rest on the desk, her whole body turning, leaning and focusing on him. She knew that Castle was catching the scent of cherries. She deliberately had put on the body lotion that matched her shampoo today. Just so she could do _this_.

"No?" came his hoarse reply.

"No what, Rick?" This was fun after all…She intentionally kept her voice calm though. The game was a different one today, no matter how much she wanted to make him squirm. Preferably underneath her- _No_, _Kate._

Calm. Cooperative. Feminine.

"Leads," he finished lamely, and before she could bask in how lost he seemed to be in her, his eyebrows snapped together. He leaned back into his chair and quietly turned away towards the board, as if now mesmerized by that instead of her.

_No_. They couldn't sink again into this funk they'd been in lately. She wasn't letting this go. Not anymore.

"Beckett, our vic's cleaning lady lives in midtown. I've got the address," Ryan brought her out of her thoughts. Silently thanking him for the assist, she turned to Castle.

"Do you want to go see what she knows?" Kate asked in a tone that suggested that was completely up to him.

He was looking at her with a puzzled frown now. "If _I_ want to go?"

"We can stay if you want and go later. We can look at the board and see what we've got." This was _killing_ her. She wanted to drag him by his tailored lapels and back him against a wall, maybe just a small bite –

_Kate!_

This was so not what Dr Burke meant when he said she'd have to tear down walls. The walls kept those thoughts inside before and now… "Yeah. Whatever you want," she heard herself say.

"Whatever…Yeah, okay I want to go with you to see the cleaning lady. Fine." He appeared to be rallying after her weird suggestion. _If he only knew…_

"We'll go together then," she said smiling. She stood looking at him, and this time she didn't have to force anything out."Help me with my coat?"

"Um…sure." He walked around her, held it for her to put her arms through. She couldn't help it. Turning around, she stepped up and smiled.

"Here," she told him and raised her hands to touch her fingers to his collar, taking care to brush lightly over the smooth skin of his neck. First on the sides, and then ever so lightly she circled to the back. For just a second she was hugging him, and she was so tempted with his lips just a breath away. But she had to go on with the plan. She could hint but he had to be the one to make the move. So she lowered her hands stroking slowly the smooth fabric of his jacket and rubbed lightly on the lapels she had previously wanted to clutch. "There, you're all straightened up now too," she husked and raised her eyes to his.

This was what she had missed. The desire and the longing that swirled in the blue eyes so close to hers. Before she could get enough of it there was a flash of emptiness and then…nothing. His brows met once more as he stepped back from her.

Her resolve solidified. He had waited for her walls to fall. Maybe it wasn't very nice of her but she had no such patience.

She did have a list to go through though.

"Let's go," she drew her arm through his as if nothing had happened and smiled sweetly once again.

"Okay, Beckett seriously, what's going on?"

They were back at the precinct to add the information they had gathered on the board. It was the end of a long day, spent chasing leads all across New York City. Her cheeks were hurting from smiling too much. Her head was buzzing from what they'd learned and the urge to almost snap at him after a whole day humoring his every mood was overwhelming.

He wasn't helping. In the morning it had been relatively easy to just nod, and insist that they did everything as a team, together. She lost count of how many times she had emphasized that they were partners, equals, and she respected his point of view. All of that said with smiles and what she hoped were soft looks. But as the day progressed, her control was tested. He wasn't stupid, she knew that. What she didn't know was that when he'd catch on, instead of going with the flow -so she'd progress to intimate sweet looks and an even more intimate talk- he'd push.

It started with theories on how the victim could have been a pimp taking advantage of innocent cleaning ladies, until some day one cleaning lady –one 55 year old arthritic cleaning lady- snapped and killed him. She had smiled and nodded. Even asked the cleaning lady how she could afford her apartment with low salary such as hers.

It had all gone downhill from there. He had asked her cheerfully whether she had ever tried escargot. Her arm had tightened on his, but she replied negatively and was promptly dragged to a French restaurant to sample snails.

As hard as that was to swallow –she inwardly snorted in disgust- the theories had progressed into levels of silliness and absurdity, she hadn't previously imagined. Everything from North Korean secret agents to robot monkeys, evil twins to sea monster breeding projects. She had smiled and given careful and earnest answers to each of his considerations.

So when now he asked her what was going on, looked up, stubbornly summoning a sweet smile. It _physically_ hurt. "What do you mean? She stepped closer to his side, and looked up at him innocently. She could have pulled it off, but they both knew he was on to her.

"Why are you smiling so much?" He frowned at himself as if puzzled at why he'd asked instead of counting his blessings.

_Rick._

Her smile slipped at the thought that for so long he'd settled at whatever she had deigned to give him, but then she rallied. "I like smiling at you."

"Beckett, this is…unnatural!" he exclaimed, wide-eyed. "I suggested that the victim was breeding kraken for the government and you agreed at the possibility. Stop it, you're freaking me out!"

"I've told you before. You've had crazy theories in the past and most of the times they're proved to be true. So why not? We're partners-"

"Yeah, I know and you respect my point of view and the insight I provide into the criminal mind. Which is completely true by the way, but seriously, I said kraken, and you _nodded_. So what's up?"

She tightened the arm that hadn't left its perch on his elbow all day, turning to almost snuggle to his side… and then leaned her head to his shoulder. _What the hell?_ No way he was passing this up. Not even a joke? "Nothing. I just think we should consider your theories as well as mine."

"Are you high?"

"No, Castle."

"Then I think I am."

The last time she was leaning on him like this, before she knew it he had grabbed and kissed her. Granted, they weren't under threat of discovery now, but why wasn't he _doing_ anything?

Before she knew it the doors opened on their floor and he disentangled his arm from hers, rushing to the murder board. Bemused she followed him.

"Did you two get anything?" Esposito asked looking up from the financials he was checking.

Kate's control snapped. "No, but Castle has some pretty interesting theories on robot monkey assassins, why don't you ask him?"

Castle's eyes had snapped to hers the minute he heard her tone and now he was smiling. _Smiling_, as if his eyes were saying _there you are_!

She exhaled slowly and feeling tired made her way to his side to look at the board. The first phase of the plan had failed.

* * *

_A Libra is accommodating, cooperative and sometimes indecisive. They will claim their love interest by being sweet and flirty but not naughty or coy. Libras sometimes give mixed signals but they're always careful to treat the other person fairly. They're diplomatic and born peacemakers. A Libra will always strive towards togetherness, since "we" is more important to Libra than "I". Be careful though, because being submissive will only take you so far. _

* * *

A.N.2: Before anyone who was born under this sign objects,I'd like to point out that a) for each sign I'm exaggerating certain characteristics that will suit the story line, b) The order the signs was altered for the purposed of this story c) the way you flirt is not determined by your sun sign but by where Venus is on your chart (yeah, yeah don't ask, I've read as much :P ). Hope you enjoyed it, and do leave a review if you did. I'm rusty so I could use the encouragement or critique.


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